


The Man Who Walked a Thousand Stairs

by misura



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Fluff, M/M, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-16
Updated: 2012-09-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 07:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/536760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>It didn't take a genius to figure out that when you set off an alarm while trying to break into a safe on the seventeenth floor, you wanted to go </i>down<i>, not up. </i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Man Who Walked a Thousand Stairs

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally written for a rounds_of_kink prompt, but while the requested kink element (vampirism) is definitely present, it's not actually very uh kinky.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that when you set off an alarm while trying to break into a safe on the seventeenth floor, you wanted to go _down_ , not up. Down was solid ground, possible exits. Down were other people, and possible transportation.

Up was just a dead end, even if it might take the bad guys a little bit longer to get there.

"Bryce!" And Bryce _was_ a genius - to say nothing of drop-dead gorgeous and an all-around great guy. Really, Chuck couldn't have wished for a better partner on this job.

Except, of course, for the part where they were taking the stairs two steps at a time, with Bryce in the lead. Going _up_.

Chuck hadn't really been keeping track (Bryce would have, he knew, because Bryce was the better spy, always professional except when he wasn't) but he would guess they might be getting close to the top of the building by now. There was a roof - flat, no heli-pad, but potentially capable of supporting a landing in case of an emergency.

Chuck didn't think him and Bryce getting cornered by a bunch of angry bad guys with guns would qualify. That wasn't how the CIA did things. You screwed up a mission; you were on your own.

"Bryce!" Bryce stopped on the next landing. There was a small plate next to the door with the number '56' on it. _Very_ close to the top.

"Hey." Bryce looked worried. He wasn't even breathing hard, Chuck noticed. "You all right?"

Of course, unless he worked at it, Bryce didn't breathe, period. So maybe Bryce not breathing kind of came down to the same thing as Chuck panting and wheezing and trying very hard not to imagine running down 56 floors' worth of stairs. (He might prefer getting shot.)

"We're going the wrong way," Chuck said. Or tried to say, really; what actually came out of his mouth sounded more like: "We - pant - go - wheeze - way."

Bryce looked uncertain. "Can I - ?" he asked, making that vague gesture they both used when referring to Bryce's powers.

Chuck nodded. His body traitorously pointed out that hey, this standing around, not running up the stairs? Felt pretty good. Would be nice to do that for a little longer.

Bryce stepped a bit closer. His hands were cool to the touch - not cold, and definitely not icy, the way they always were in the books. Chuck tried not to lean into that touch too much; they were on a job, after all, and he could be just as much of a professional as Bryce was.

_'We're going the wrong way,'_ he thought.

"You don't need to shout," Bryce said, smiling, and Chuck realized that even if at the moment, only Bryce's _hands_ were touching him, it wouldn't take much effort at all to get more of Bryce touching him. His lips, for instance.

_'Is there a heli on the roof?'_ There hadn't been any mention of one in the briefing, and they'd gotten here by car - no way to spot from ground-level what was up on the roof, unless maybe Bryce had seen it approaching?

"It'll be fine," Bryce said. "Trust me?"

_'Always,'_ Chuck thought. It probably sounded like he was shouting again, but this time, Bryce didn't seem to mind. Very much so, in fact.

(A professional part of Chuck's mind managed to hold out for three whole seconds and started to tell him how, really, this wasn't a good idea at all; he should push Bryce away _right now_ ; there were bad guys with guns coming, and they'd been ordered to keep a low profile on this job, which meant Bryce wasn't supposed to vamp out and play 'catch the bullet'.)

If there were any security cameras or some such thing around, they'd probably have to make sure to wipe the records on their way down. Getting spotted trying to burgle an office was one thing; getting caught on video making out on the stairs was just - well, they wouldn't - it was -

"Unprofessional, Mr Carmichael," Bryce said. His eyes weren't the least bit human. _'Later.'_

Chuck nodded.

Bryce started up the stairs again, a bit slower than before. Chuck followed. The sounds of pursuit were still distant, he was relieved to notice. It made sense enough; the smart thing to do would have been to hide out somewhere, wait for the guards to pass, and then slip downstairs again.

Once he and Bryce reached the roof, they'd be trapped. No way out.

They passed the numbers '57' and '58', and then they were there.

If there was a helicopter standing around somewhere, waiting to get hijacked and used to fly them to safety, Chuck didn't spot it. Admittedly, it was a big roof, but it was also rather ... empty.

"Um, Bryce?"

Bryce didn't seem at all worried. A bit amused, maybe, which didn't make much sense, unless -

"You can _fly_?" Chuck asked.

Bryce shrugged. "It's more like levitating," he said. "I'm not Superman."

"Good, because I'm not Lois Lane." Chuck considered for a moment. "You mean we could have just gone out of a window?"

"Walking stairs is good exercise?" Bryce offered. "You're cute when you worry?" 

Chuck glared.

"You're irresistable when you're annoyed with me?"

"How long would you say we have up here?"


End file.
